Monday, February 24, 2014

Trail of the Phantom Gypsy

A nice 'n spooky tale full of weird moments and atmospheric art from the June 1952 issue of TheBeyond #12. You don't need a crystal ball to see we're in the midst of another full issue presentation here a THOIA-- and one more tale to go! See ya in a few from the bedeviling wrap-up!

5 comments:

I agree with Mestiere here, this story didn't seem to understand the mechanics of a curse, you're supposed to curse the person who caused your suffering. Yes, in the end, the father did pay, but it was really the innocent, his son, who suffered and died.

And, kicking somebody off your land? Cruel, yes, but deserving of an eternal curse? It seems these Gypsys were a bit on edge!

Of course, following the woman you know is dead to confess your love? Maybe he got cursed for being an idiot!

Artist had a bit of a problem with female faces, page 2, panel 2 made me laugh out loud. That's supposed to be a woman cursing you to wander and die? It looks more like she commenting on how nice his tie is!

Curses last for generations and generations. They nearly always target innocent people. I think that's the strength of the story here. Perhaps it doesn't bother to adhere to some rigid guideline on moral justice, that that is also a strength if you ask me.

I loved the ambitious art here, though some panels work better than others. The middle row of page five is really great--that forth panel some of the boldest possible emotional mark-making. Really aggressive. I would hang the third panel of page six on my wall in a frame, same with the fifth of seven. Great stuff!

I agree with Brian Barnes and Mestiere - those "sins of the fathers" kinds of stories usually leave a bad taste in my mouth, even when they're well-done. But as Mr. Cavin says, they're a real staple of horror stories. Besides, this was a pretty original one.

The moment I saw Jeremy and Marla meet, after seeing his father's attitude, I expected a Romeo and Juliet kind of story. I guess in a way it IS, though a very weird one.

"...the capital of online comic book horrors... saying "Not the best story THOIA has run" is a bit like saying "one of Beethoven's lesser symphonies!"---Quasar Dragon

"...the object of all horror chicks' wet dreams... a comixkaze of awesome!"---Killer Kittens

"...an online repository of vintage comic fear fare where individual stories from long out-of-print issues are posted in high resolution, page by page. For a fan of EC, Atlas and other Silver Age-era comic companies, it is pure heaven (and hell)..."---Bryan Reesman (Attention Deficit Delirium)